Transcription
Like you can touch me. Like this. It's nothing, okay? It's my bone. Ah, just [clears throat] like this.
Our sound recordist Semi was skeptical at first. >> [laughter] [clears throat] >> Later he told us that anybody could learn this. God had given us all the yin yang clarity. But it takes discipline and meditation to awaken and control it. And you must be very aware of your emotions. This energy can be dangerous. It can kill as well as heal. >> [music] >> Projecting chi from the palm of the hand can also be used to resist rifle pellets, he says. >> [music] >> What you have just seen is not a scene from fiction.
The man appearing in those images is John Chang, a master of a very little known tradition called Mopai. A practice that is part of something broader, internal alchemy. A system that has its roots in ancient Chinese Taoism where it is known as Neidan, and that for centuries has sought to understand, refine, and direct the energy of the human body from within, >> [music] >> the chi. Then he asked for our newspaper. >> For centuries, this knowledge was kept hidden. Passed quietly from master to student within small, secretive circles far beyond the reach of the Western world. That is why footage like what we've just seen is so rare. >> [music] >> These practices were almost never meant to be shown publicly. But beyond the mystery and spectacle, a bigger question remains. What is really happening here? >> [music] >> Where does this energy come from? And what could human beings be capable of if we truly learned how to sense it, control it, and direct it?
In the early 1980s, a group of documentary filmmakers [music] traveled deep into Indonesia after hearing rumors about a healer with abilities that seemed almost impossible. Their goal was simple, yet incredibly ambitious. To capture on camera, for the very first time, the abilities of John Chang, a master of the Mopai tradition, who claimed he could generate real bioelectric energy from within his own body. What they witnessed left everyone speechless. >> [laughter] >> Chang not only performed acupuncture by transmitting powerful electrical discharges through the needles, but he also seemed capable of igniting paper with his hands, moving objects without touching them, and even piercing a solid wooden table with a simple plastic toothpick. So, I invited a small group of scientists back from the United [music] States with measuring equipment to test if DJ was for real. And if so, where might this energy belong on the electromagnetic spectrum? Years later, the team returned accompanied by a group of scientists who attempted to measure and analyze these phenomena using different instruments. They witnessed the demonstrations firsthand without finding a clear explanation or evidence of fraud.
However, after displaying his abilities on camera, something happened that changed everything. According to his own testimony, John Chang was visited throughout an entire night by his already deceased master who severely reprimanded him for having violated the strict taboos of his lineage. Deeply impacted, Chang made a radical decision to cut all contact with the outside world. He disappeared from the public scene, forbade any new recordings, and withdrew completely swearing never to show his abilities to the public eye again. And for years, >> [music] >> nothing more was known about John Chang. His story faded back into mystery. No new recordings surfaced, and he made no public appearances until recently when Mel Gibson appeared on the The Joe Rogan Experience and shared a story as surprising as it was fascinating. I used to have a chi gong master. This is what kind of blows my mind about medicine and about >> [music] >> ancient stuff. And he'd come in and he could like point at you right from this far away and you'd feel it. >> [music] >> But like feel it like to the as palpable as someone pushing you around. It's like Really? >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not kidding.
What's interesting about this testimony is that it doesn't describe a vague or subjective sensation. According to Mel Gibson, what he experienced was something physical and direct. He wasn't talking about imagining energy, but about feeling a real force as if something invisible were interacting with his own body. And what's most striking is that according to his account, no contact was needed. But what happened next was even more unsettling. He uh one time he was working on me and he was working on my liver. He said, "Your liver's blocked." Cuz he looks at you. And if you look at him, he looks away. >> [music] >> And his wife engages you while he checks you out. And then he gives you a little body map and he puts X's all over it and you go, "Yeah, that's right. I got a pain here and a thing there." And I you know, he knows where everything is. One day he's at me on my back and he's pushing and I can feel my back go and I'm at the wall. He hit me he started yelling at my organ, at my liver. Like, "Get out." You know, whatever. And I I went up the wall and there was like 8 in of air under my heels and I was up the wall and I was like, "Whoa." And I came back down. It freaked me out. There are others like it. Oh, yeah, he's not the only one. He learned it from somebody and I think he I think he imparted some knowledge. [music]
To truly understand what we are seeing in cases like that of John Chang or in the experience described [music] by Mel Gibson, we have to stop thinking of chi as something mystical and start seeing it as what many traditions describe, a universal force. The ancient Taoists sought to uncover the origins of life and existence. Through centuries of external observation and internal introspection, they came to the conclusion that all forms of life were founded on a single principle, a kind of energy that animated them. For the ancients, chi was not just something that circulates within the body, but the energy that fills and sustains everything that exists. This principle is explained in Taoism through what is known as the three powers or sun sai. Heaven, earth, and human. The chi of heaven refers to the forces that act from above, the light of the sun, the influence [clears throat] of the moon, natural cycles, and even the radiation of the stars. Everything that in one way or another conditions life on earth. The chi of earth, on the other hand, is related to the planet's magnetic field, the energetic currents that run through the ground, and the invisible patterns that structure the environment in which we live. And finally, there is the chi of human, your energy, >> [music] >> a dynamic system that is in constant interaction with those two forces. From this perspective, the human being is not an isolated system, but a point of connection between heaven and earth, a living bridge. And this is where everything begins to make sense.
What science today describes as bioelectricity >> [music] >> could simply be a modern way of understanding that same phenomenon, a flow of energy generated through breathing and nutrition, >> [music] >> but which, according to these teachings, can be directed by something even more powerful, the mind. That is why when someone learns to cultivate chi, >> [music] >> they are not doing anything supernatural. They are learning to regulate their own system and optimize that internal flow so that the body can function in the most efficient way possible. [music] Energy, understanding of energy is >> [music] >> understanding of body and spirit at one time, same sense. >> [music] >> And understanding energy is is the guide guide [music] for you, the guide of your life including your physical manifestation [music] and spiritual manifestation.
If chi is the energy that connects heaven, [music] earth, and the human being, the question becomes clear. >> [music] >> How does it function within us? And how can we improve its quality and flow? The ancient Taoists explained it simply. Everything in the universe moves between two opposite and complementary forces, yin and yang. This ancestral symbol is not just a philosophical idea, it is a map of energy in action. It represents the moment when the original unity divides into two fundamental polarities, positive [music] and negative, and shows how this duality shapes everything [music] that exists, including the human body. The human body is not just matter, [music] it is the visible manifestation of something invisible, energy in motion. It is a living, dynamic system organized around a central axis, >> [music] >> the spine. Along this axis, the Taoists identified three main energy centers [music] known as dantian or fields of the elixir, the upper, [music] the middle, and the lower. The upper and lower centers [music] form a fundamental polarity within the body. The upper dantian, located in the head, is associated with consciousness, >> [music] >> perception, and subtle energy. The lower dantian, located in the abdomen, is considered the center where energy accumulates and is stored. One defines the quality of energy and the other the quantity. And both are connected through the central axis, functioning as a single integrated system. When these centers are in balance, energy flows smoothly. The body responds and the mind stabilizes. >> [music] >> When the balance is broken, however, energy begins to scatter.
This is where ancient wisdom meets modern understanding. The body can also be seen as a living electrical system. >> [music] >> Each cell functions like a tiny battery, generating energy from oxygen, from food, and from the way we breathe. The body is in constant renewal. >> [music] >> Millions of cells die and are born every day. The quality of this process depends largely on the energy available and how it circulates within us. This is not an abstract concept. It is part of everyday life. Internal medicine. Since ancient times, Eastern traditions, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism have conceived the body as a sacred laboratory. A microcosm that reflects the universe. While the West considers consciousness a byproduct of matter, the East teaches the opposite. >> [music] >> Consciousness shapes form within us. Every thought and emotion has a direct effect on the flow of internal energy. Fear, tension, or anger block chi. Calm, gratitude, and love restore it. Our consciousness acts as a quantum observer, >> [music] >> collapsing infinite possibilities into the concrete experience toward which we direct our attention. Therefore, training the mind is also training energy. Each [music] deep breath, each focused thought, each conscious act becomes a form of internal alchemy, a refinement in which the dense transforms into the subtle and the material into the spiritual. [music] Science calls it coherence. Taoism calls it harmony. >> [music] >> And in both cases, the result is the same. When energy flows freely, >> [music] >> the body heals, the mind clears, and the spirit rises.
The human body is a reflection of the spirit, a node of individual consciousness that manifests in the dense planes of reality. Our essence descends from subtler levels, such as the planes of light or the astral, until it materializes in physical matter. Thus, the body is a projection of consciousness, a visible expression of energy vibrating at higher levels. This implies that many times illness is nothing more than a blockage in the subtle body, an interruption in the energetic flow that over time densifies until it manifests [music] physically. True healing begins at the energetic level. By releasing blockages, chi flows again, and the body responds by regaining its natural balance.
The flow of energy between the dantian constitutes the heart of Taoist internal alchemy, neidan. When sufficient heat is generated in the lower dantian as a result of the interaction between the fire of the heart and the water of the kidneys, vital essence, jing, >> [music] >> transforms into chi energy. This energy rises to the middle dantian, where it merges with shen, and finally reaches the upper dantian, >> [music] >> becoming light or spiritual energy. The goal of Qigong and internal alchemy is to develop this process, to enhance energy within the body, increase the circulation of chi, and achieve harmony between body, mind, and [music] spirit. The health and vitality of the individual depend on the quantity and quality of energy present in these [music] three dan tien. Furthermore, these energy centers correspond to the chakras of Hinduism, and the process of raising and transmuting energy is reminiscent of the ascent of Kundalini in the Hindu tradition, where vital energy is purified and elevated toward higher consciousness.
This is where one of the most powerful [music] and accessible tools appears, breathing. Breathing is not merely taking in air. It is a way to influence the flow of energy and learn to guide it consciously. Anyone can practice this through specific breathing techniques. Energy blockages [music] can be removed, energy flow can be strengthened, and even deeper states of consciousness [music] can be accessed. If the body functions like an electrical system, most of us operate with the battery at minimum. Not because energy is lacking, in fact, we are surrounded [music] by it, but because we have never learned to generate it, store it, and make it circulate consciously. When some [music] masters like John Chang seemed to demonstrate something extraordinary, in reality, what they had developed was a deep understanding of this internal system and the ability to regulate it at will.
In [music] this line, the work of Yang and [music] promoter of Chinese internal arts for decades, describes this process as a progressive path, a kind of internal engineering that transforms the way energy is organized within the body. [music] Everything begins with the breath, not a superficial or automatic breath, but a conscious, deep, [music] and subtle process. In Daoist traditions, there is mention of what is called embryonic [music] breathing, a state in which the breath becomes so fine that it is barely perceived, as if the body were breathing by itself, returning to its embryonic origin. As the mind descends toward the abdomen and attention stabilizes in the lower Dantian, energy stops dispersing >> [music] >> and begins to accumulate. It is a process of gathering, of returning to the center [music] where mind and body gradually unify, which in these traditions is described as the integration of spirit with energy, shen and chi.
When this foundation is consolidated, energy begins to move naturally, giving rise to what is known as the microcosmic orbit. The ancients described this phenomenon as an internal circuit that runs along the central axis of the body, ascending through the spine and descending along the front. It should not be understood as a simple visualization, but as a flow that awakens as the system regulates itself. Through this circulation, blockages begin to release and the body regains greater internal coherence. Over time, this movement expands and evolves into what is called the macrocosmic orbit. Energy stops concentrating only on the central axis >> [music] >> and begins to extend toward the extremities, reaching the hands, feet, and deeper tissues, >> [music] >> and ultimately fusing with nature and the totality. At this point, the body is no longer perceived as something isolated, but consciousness expands beyond ordinary physical and mental limits, with the attainment of enlightenment as the ultimate goal.
Now, this entire process does not occur immediately. These practices develop progressively, and what you are seeing here is a very general and simplified view, designed so that you can begin to perceive something from the very first moment. If you wish, you can try it now.
Step one, embryonic breathing. Sit with your back straight. Relax the body and gently place your tongue on the palate, closing the upper energetic circuit. Close your eyes and bring your attention inward. Begin by directing your attention to the abdomen, a few centimeters below the navel, in the area of the lower dan tien. Breathe slowly, softly, and silently, [music] without forcing the rhythm. Allow the mind to descend and settle there, as if all your attention were gathered at that point. If you wish, you can also maintain a slight awareness in the center of the head, allowing that upper attention to gradually descend and unify with the sensation in the abdomen. >> [music] >> It is a natural, effortless process in which the mind and energy begin to align. >> [music] >> As the breath becomes more stable, something that may require more or less time, depending on your internal state and practice, you can gently begin to introduce the idea of the microcosmic orbit.
Step two, microcosmic orbit. During inhalation, allow the sensation to descend toward the base of the torso, toward the perineum. During exhalation, >> [music] >> let that energy ascend along the spine, following the path of the governor vessel, du mai, to the top of the head. From [music] there, naturally allow it to descend along the front of the body, through the conception vessel, ren mai, returning once again to the abdomen. it is not about forcing the path, but suggesting it with attention, as if following a smooth, continuous, [music] almost electrical flow.
Step three, macrocosmic orbit. Before moving the energy throughout the entire body, make sure the flow in your internal orbit is continuous. [music] If you already feel the energy circulating along the central axis, from the abdomen up the spine to the crown, and back down the front, you can begin the next movement. With each exhalation, allow the sensation of warmth, vibration, or key to extend gently from the abdomen toward the hands [music] and the soles of the feet. Feel how it moves toward the center of the palms. Feel how it descends to the soles of the feet. This is a first [music] step in expanding energy into the 12 main meridians of the body, beyond the central channels, >> [music] >> contributing to balancing and vitalizing the entire energetic system. Once the energy becomes more palpable, allow this sensation to move more broadly up and down along the meridians of the arms and legs, toward the extremities of the hands and feet, as if all the body's energy pathways were being irrigated by a continuous current. Do not try to force or visualize with too much intensity. The key is to accompany the sensation with relaxed breathing and attention, as if following the natural movement of the energy.
Practicing these kinds of energetic exercises together with meditation in a conscious and consistent way allows energy to expand beyond the central axis of the body, >> [music] >> gradually connecting the main channels with the meridians of the arms and legs. This allows key to flow more completely, bringing balance to both body and mind. [music] Many practitioners report feeling more energized, vital, and awake, as if their body were more alive. They also begin to notice a deeper connection with their spirit, >> [music] >> a sense of inner harmony, and a growing attunement with their own energy. Over time, these practices can help regulate the nervous system, >> [music] >> promoting calm, emotional stability, and mental clarity.
In the end, everything rests on a very simple principle. The mind guides the energy. And wherever attention is directed, the flow begins to establish itself. This is only the beginning, but it is enough to start directly experiencing how this internal system begins to awaken. That's all for today's video. Thank you very much for watching until the end. See you soon.